Stop Thinking In Tasks And To-Dos. Start Thinking In Outcomes

I’m always on the hunt for relevant info and I loved this - one of the best articles I’ve seen on this topic for a while. Here are a few paragraphs as a taster...

Tasks and to-dos may be the building blocks of work and productivity, but an outcome is more than a blueprint — it’s the most nutrient-rich version of a goal. An outcome is a goal that tells a story — to ourselves and others — about where we want to arrive. It builds on the proven power of visualization by encouraging us to envision an end state we can not only see but feel viscerally.

It may sound simple enough, but it’s a fundamentally different way of working and thinking about how to get things done. Ticking off tasks on our to-do lists might make us feel productive. But to truly be productive, we must clearly visualize the outcomes we want and design everything we do around getting them.

Write outcomes, not to-dos

That’s not to say you should trash your to-do list. To-do lists are a time-honored tool for getting things done. Richard Branson swears by his. Warren Buffett whittles goals down to a manageable list of two and scraps the rest. Jamie Dimon writes to-dos on index cards he keeps in his pockets. Marc Andreessen writes his to-dos in reverse, recording the things he gets done on an anti-to-do list.

Pretty valuable stuff, I’m sure you’ll agree! Why not check out the whole article here and share your thoughts with me afterwards: email me at [email protected].